A Rededication To The Cause
Background :A Rededication to the Cause was given during a celebration of the Battle of Endor, directly before a speech made by Senator Faust. In A Rededication, Lemos calls for a renewed unification of the Republic, and a rededication to the virtues on which the Alliance to Restore the Republic was founded on, as well as the Republic that it helped to restore. Text Men, women, citizens of the Republic. It has been nine long years since the commencement and resolution of the Battle of Endor. Neither I nor any present are verbally capable of expressing our gratitude for the men and women who sacrificed their lives to restore the Republic. Too often, wars and warriors slip slowly from a culture's collective memory into their history texts. I, for one, will not '''allow' that to happen. We are gathered here today to ensure that doesn't happen.'' The Empire built their superlaser platform once, deploying it to the then-current base of operations at Yavin. And we destroyed it with a collection of 32 stunt fighters stolen from the Empire and outdated bombers. It was crippled by a single torpedo shot. They built it again, mindful of how we defeated them, and what did we do? We destroyed it. Again, the killing blow was dealt a stunt fighter firing potshots at its power core. What was their reaction? They built it a third time. Again, it was destroyed by a fleet of small vessels with missile weaponry. My point is not to say that the contributions of others at these battles were irrelevant. There could be nothing further from the truth. These pilots could not have completed their individual part of the battle had it not been for the participation of others in the battle. My point is that the lightest blow can fell the largest foe. My point is that these people were able to do this because they were putting their entire life, the lives of their families, and the very core of their being, into their work. The Alliance, from its very incipience, has been precisely that: the bonding together of a group of people who dared to oppose the Emperor with every fiber of their being. They started off as a few people, a few systems, and gradually grew to defeat his superweapon not once, not twice…but three times! But, it is not over yet. While we ignore them for the most part these days, the Remnants continue to exist and terrorize their worlds. They must be shown, time and time again, that we are not afraid, we will fight, and we will never stop until they agree to our conditions. To do this…we must all aspire to be great in what we do. Something, I fear, that we are beginning to lose sight of as we now control Coruscant. If you are a warrior in our military, then hone your skills to best your enemy in battle. If you are a philosopher, teach so that the coming generations will see Star Destroyers as a picture in a holo-text rather than something in orbit over their planet. If you are an industrialist, build up our products to be that much superior. If you are a Jedi, then stick diligently to your code and masters to fulfill the will of the Force in the galaxy. Our power does not lie in vast numbers. Our power does not rely on a strong economy. Our power lies in the potential for greatness in each and every one of us. Our power is the ability of the individual to become an organ of a larger body. Our power is that unity. We all have the power to induce change. We all have the power to *truly* restore safety, security, justice, and peace to the entire galaxy once again! Say it with me: “safety, security, justice, and peace!" Imagine a future where your children are safe from oppression, military drafts, and slavery! Imagine a future where you children’s children question how such an evil could ever exist. Imagine that future, and say it with me: "Safety, security, justice, and peace!" But today…today is a day for peace, not for war. Today, show the galaxy that we here, and we are free because of our Republic’s dedication! Today, the Republic wants you to ENJOY YOURSELF...AND ENJOY FREEDOM! Rededication to the Cause, A